Thursday, October 14, 2004

Osteoarthritis

The natural design of your joints allows frictionless movement over two bony structures due to the smooth lubricated cartilage. In osteoarthritis (OA) joint damage involves injury to this shock distributing cartilage. In many cases breakdown of the cartilage may be due to a number of factors besides trauma such as genetic abnormalities, immune response, allergies, etc.

Research done at the University of Nottingham & NYU Hospital for Joint Disease was published in a recent issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, titled Inflammation May be Culprit in OA.

Scientists found that nearly 1/3 of patients ready to undergo joint replacement surgery for OA have severe inflammation in the synovial fluid that surrounds and protects the joints. This inflammation, already known to cause rheumatoid arthritis (RA), could be a contributing factor in OA as well. Five to ten years ago OA was thought to be due to the degeneration of cartilage due to wear and tear. A number of studies have found that inflammatory mediators promote a more rapid progression of cartilage to be degraded and destroyed. Inflammation leads to degradation of tissue, whether it is joint tissue, free radical damage of the brain in Alzheimer's and dementia, Parkinson’s, in the liver causing hepatitis, or even in the detox systems in the body. 20 million Americans suffer from OA and by the year 2030 about 70 million people in this country will have OA. Also called Degenerative Joint Disease, OA causes the erosion of cartilage that covers the ends of the bones in the joints leaving the bones to rub together which causes pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint.

How should a joint function? Take 2 ice cubes, wet them, and then rub them against each other. How slippery is that? Now realize that a normal joint is 80 times more slippery than those 2 wet ice cubes!

In OA there is a drying up of the synovial fluid and the cartilage begins to dehydrate and crack, leading up to bone rubbing on bone. And of course there is inflammation in the joint.

There are 4 aspects to the management of this disease. One thing to keep in mind is that the joint structure should be normal. If that joint is not normal, if there is any kind of misalignment and there is dysfunctional movement in that joint, no matter what treatment you get, whether it be nutritional or medical, is not going to be successful. Dysfunctional movement of a joint will not allow it to heal regardless of the therapy, whether it is surgical, medical, or nutritional. Chiropractic, physical therapy, or osteopathic therapy is needed to diagnose and correct any misalignment.

4. Restore normal range of motion. This will maintain the circulation and allow that joint to be fed

All of this will only work if you normalize the structural integrity and dysfunction of that joint. Management of arthritis without medicine or surgery is wonderful and brilliant. There are absolutely no side effects. These 4 steps are a great way to manage arthritis, whether due to trauma, genetic predispositions, or allergies.

Disclaimer: Statements made pertaining to the properties and/or functions of nutritional products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and these materials and products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never discontinue medical prescriptions without the consent of your physician.

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About Me

Dr. Rosenberg is an American born and trained chiropractor living and practicing in Israel. He practices chiropractic neurology and integrative medicine. The Integrative Health Letter and other blogs are written to provide people with the information they need to make educated decisions in their health care.